Apparatus and method for automatic call receiving and sending depending on user posture in portable terminal

ABSTRACT

A method of receiving a call by recognizing a posture of a user in a portable terminal is provided. The method includes identifying whether a call reception event occurs, detecting a motion in which the user brings the portable terminal to an ear by using a posture detecting sensor, when the call reception event occurs, and connecting the call upon detecting the motion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/360,974 filed on Nov. 23, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/731,041 filed on Jun. 4, 2015, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/320,310 filed onJun. 30, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/319,060 filed on Jan. 16, 2012, which is a 371 of InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/KR2010/002848 filed on May 4, 2010, whichclaims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-0038863 filedon May 4, 2009, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method forautomatically receiving and transmitting a call in a portable terminalby recognizing a user posture.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, in order to transmit or receive a call, a user needs to pressa button of a portable terminal or directly touch a screen of theportable terminal. However, the portable terminal having a touchfunction may not have a physical button, and thus, the user needs toview a displayed screen in order to perform a precise touch operation.

Normally, it is explicit when the user presses a SEND button or touchesa specific area to send or receive a call; however, a more convenientfunction can be provided to the user if the above approach to press theSEND button or touch the specific area can be more simplified.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present invention is to solve at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentinvention is to provide an apparatus and a method for automaticallyreceiving and sending a call in a portable terminal by identifying auser posture.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and amethod for receiving and sending a call by detecting a user gesture ofbringing a portable terminal to the user's ear.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method ofreceiving a call by recognizing a posture of a user in a portableterminal is provided. The method includes identifying whether a callreception event occurs, detecting a motion in which the user brings theportable terminal to an ear by using a posture detecting sensor, whenthe call reception event occurs, and connecting the call upon detectingthe motion.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method oforiginating a call by recognizing a posture of a user in a portableterminal is provided. The method includes identifying whether a numberto call is entered, detecting a motion in which the user brings theportable terminal to an ear by using a posture detecting sensor, whenthe number to call is entered, and originating the call upon detectingthe motion.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatusfor receiving a call by recognizing a posture of a user in a portableterminal is provided. The apparatus includes a posture detecting sensorand a controller configured to identify whether a call reception eventoccurs and, when the call reception event occurs, configured to detect amotion in which the user brings the portable terminal to an ear by usingthe posture detecting sensor and configured to connect the call upondetecting the motion.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatusfor originating a call by recognizing a posture of a user in a portableterminal is provided. The apparatus includes a posture detecting sensorand a controller configured to identify whether a number to call isentered and, when the number to call is entered, configured to detect amotion in which the user brings the portable terminal to an ear by usingthe posture detecting sensor and configured to originate the call to thenumber to call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certainexemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparentfrom the following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a block configuration of a portableterminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process of sending a call by usinga posture detecting sensor in a portable terminal according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process of receiving a call byusing a posture detecting sensor in a portable terminal according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4(a) is a view illustrating a direction of an accelerometer sensoraccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4(b) is a view illustrating a user's motion of bringing a portableterminal to the user's ear;

FIG. 4(c) is a graph illustrating a determination value of anaccelerometer sensor when a user brings a portable terminal to theuser's ear;

FIG. 4(d) is a view illustrating an average rate of change of adetermination value of an accelerometer sensor when a user brings aportable terminal to the user's ear;

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating an example of determination values of anaccelerometer sensor and a luminance sensor and an analysis thereof whena user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of detecting a motion inwhich a user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear by using anaccelerometer sensor and a luminance sensor in a portable terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a pseudo code for detecting a motion inwhich a user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear by using anaccelerometer sensor and a luminance sensor in a portable terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a pseudo code for detecting a motion inwhich a user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear by using anaccelerometer sensor in a portable terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. Also, in thefollowing description, well-known functions or constructions are notdescribed in detail since they would obscure the invention inunnecessary detail.

Hereinafter, an apparatus and a method for automatically receiving andsending a call by recognizing a user posture in a portable terminalaccording to the present invention will be described below.

The present invention automatically sends or receives a call bydetecting a user' motion of bringing a portable terminal to the user'sear or a state in which the portable terminal is brought and placed tothe user's ear by using a posture detecting sensor such as anaccelerometer sensor, a terrestrial magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor,a proximity sensor, or a sensor.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portable terminal accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the portable terminal includes a modem 110, aposture recognition unit 120, a controller 125, a storage unit 130, aposture detecting sensor 140, an input unit 150, and an output unit 160.

The modem 110 is a module for communicating with other terminal andincludes a wireless processing unit and a baseband processing unit. Thewireless processing unit converts a signal received through an antennato a baseband signal to be provided to the baseband processing unit andconverts a baseband signal from the baseband processing unit to a radiosignal to be transmitted over an actual radio path and sends theconverted radio signal through the antenna.

The controller 125 controls an overall operation of the portableterminal. In particular, the controller 125 controls the posturedetecting sensor 140 and the posture recognition unit 120 according tothe present invention.

The storage unit 130 performs a function to store a program forcontrolling the overall operation of the portable terminal and temporarydata generated during execution of the program.

The posture detecting sensor 140 includes a luminance sensor, theproximity sensor, the accelerometer sensor, the geo-magnetic sensor, orthe pressure sensor, and outputs a movement determination value when amotion of the portable terminal occurs.

The input unit 150 is configured to include a touch screen or a keypadand provides a user input to the controller 125. Also, the output unit160 is configured to include a speaker, a vibration motor, or a liquidcrystal display (LCD) screen, and provides an output from the portableterminal in a form of a sound, vibration, or screen display.

When a telephone number to call is entered through the input unit 150,the posture recognition unit 120 loads the entered telephone number onthe memory. Next, when the user moves the portable terminal, i.e., adata is outputted from the posture detecting sensor 140, the posturerecognition unit 120 analyzes an output data from the posture detectingsensor 140.

When an analysis result of the output data of the posture detectingsensor 140 indicates that the user brings the portable terminal to theuser's ear to send a call or brings and places the portable terminal tothe user's ear, the posture recognition unit 120 sends the call to theentered telephone number.

When a data is outputted from the posture detecting sensor 140 but theanalysis result of the output data indicates that the user presses aSEND button, instead of the user' motion of bringing the portableterminal to the user's ear or the state in which the portable terminalis brought and placed to the user's ear for call origination, theposture recognition unit 120 originates the call to the enteredtelephone number.

When a call receipt event occurs in the portable terminal (here, thecall receipt event indicates a case in which an event for alerting anincoming call such as a ring tone, vibration, a flashing lamp, or ascreen display that signals the incoming call in the portable device isgenerated in the portable terminal), the posture recognition unit 120identifies whether a data is outputted from the posture detecting sensor140.

When the analysis result of the output data of the posture detectingsensor 140 indicates that the user brings the portable terminal to theuser's ear or brings and places the portable terminal to the user's earfor call receipt, the posture recognition unit 120 connects the call.

When the analysis result of the output data of the posture detectingsensor 140 does not indicate, although the user moves the portableterminal, the user' motion of bringing the portable terminal to theuser's ear or the state in which the portable terminal is brought andplaced to the user's ear for call receipt but indicates that the userpressed a bottom of the portable terminal, the posture recognition unit120 connects the call.

In the above-mentioned block configuration, the controller 125 canperform a function of the posture recognition unit 120. In the presentinvention, the posture recognition unit 120 is illustrated as a separateunit in order to explain each function separately.

Thus, when embodied in a real product, all of functions of the posturerecognition unit 120 can be performed by the controller 125 or,alternatively, only a part of the functions described above can beperformed by the controller 125. A detailed operation of the controller125 will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process of sending a call by usinga posture detecting sensor in a portable terminal according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the telephone number to call is entered fromthe user (step 210), the controller loads the entered telephone numberonto the memory (step 220).

Next, when a data output is detected by the posture detecting sensor ofthe portable terminal (step 230), i.e., a movement of the portableterminal is detected, the controller analyzes the output data of theposture detecting sensor (step 235).

Next, when the analysis result of the output data of the posturedetecting sensor indicates the user' motion of bringing the portableterminal to the user's ear or the state in which the portable terminalis brought and placed to the user's ear (step 240), the controller sendsthe call to the entered telephone number (step 260).

If the data output is not detected by the posture detecting sensor ofthe portable terminal (step 230) but the SEND button is detected to bepressed (step 250), the controller sends the call to the enteredtelephone number (step 260).

When, although the data output is detected by the posture detectingsensor of the portable terminal (step 230), the analysis result (step235) of the output data of the posture detecting sensor does notindicate the user' motion of bringing the portable terminal to theuser's ear or the state in which the portable terminal is brought andplaced to the user's ear for call origination (step 240), but indicatesthe SEND button being pressed (step 250), the controller sends the callto the entered telephone number (step 260).

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process of receiving a call byusing a posture detecting sensor in a portable terminal according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the call receipt event in the portableterminal occurs (step 310) (here, the call receipt event indicates thecase in which the event for alerting the incoming call such as the ringtone, vibration, the flushing lamp, or the screen display that signalsthe incoming call is generated in the portable device), the followingstep is performed.

When the data output is detected from the posture detecting sensor ofthe portable terminal (step 320), i.e., detecting the movement of theportable terminal, the output data of the posture detecting sensor isanalyzed (step 330).

Next, when the analysis result of the output data of the posturedetecting sensor indicates the user' motion of bringing the portableterminal to the user's ear or the state in which the portable terminalis brought and placed to the user's ear for call receipt (step 340), thecontroller connects the call (step 360).

If the data output is not detected by the posture detecting sensor ofthe portable terminal (step 320) but the SEND button is detected to bepressed (step 350), the controller connects the call (step 360).

When, although the data output is detected by the posture detectingsensor of the portable terminal (step 320), the analysis result of theoutput data of the posture detecting sensor does not indicate the user'motion of bringing the portable terminal to the user's ear or the statein which the portable terminal is brought and placed to the user's earfor call origination (step 340) but indicates the SEND button beingpressed (step 350), the controller connects the call (step 360).

Next, the following description will discuss the accelerometer sensorand the luminance sensor as an exemplary embodiment of the posturedetecting sensor.

FIG. 4(a) is a view illustrating a direction of an accelerometer sensoraccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4(b)is a view illustrating a user's motion of bringing a portable terminalto the user's ear, FIG. 4(c) is a graph illustrating a determinationvalue of an accelerometer sensor when a user brings a portable terminalto the user's ear, and FIG. 4(d) is a view illustrating an average rateof change of a determination value of an accelerometer sensor when auser brings a portable terminal to the user's ear.

Referring to FIG. 4a , when it is assumed that an upward direction ofthe portable terminal is north, a value of a sensor on an X axisrepresents a determined acceleration value of the accelerometer sensoralong a north-south direction relative to the portable terminal, and avalue of a sensor on a Y axis represents a determined acceleration valueof the accelerometer sensor along an east-west direction relative to theportable terminal, and a value of a sensor on a Z sensor represents adetermined acceleration value of the accelerometer sensor along avertical direction of the portable terminal.

Referring to FIG. 4b , a motion of the user to bring the portableterminal, placed on a flat plane, to the user's ear is illustrated.While an upper arm from a shoulder to an elbow maintains a predeterminedangle, a lower arm mostly from the user's elbow to a hand is raisedupwardly above the shoulder such that the portable terminal gripped inthe hand is brought to the user's ear.

Referring to FIG. 4c , a determination value of the accelerometer sensorin a case where the user brings the user mobile terminal to the user'sear is shown, wherein a horizontal axis represents time and a verticalaxis represents an acceleration of gravity (G). For reference, aconversion formula of the acceleration of gravity is G=((x, y orz)−512)/(512).

In FIG. 4c , a range in which values on the X, Y or Z axis of theaccelerometer sensor shows a change corresponds to a case in which theuser brings the portable terminal to the user's ear and, a range inwhich the values on the X, Y or Z axis shows a reduced changecorresponds to a case in which the portable terminal is placed andremains to the user's ear.

Referring to FIG. 4d , an average rate of change in the determinationvalue of the accelerometer sensor in a case where the user brings theuser mobile terminal to the user's ear is shown, and a range in whichthe average rate of change of the determination value on the X, Y or Zaxis is changed indicates a motion in which the user brings the portableterminal to the user's ear, and a range in which the change in thedetermination value on the X, Y or Z axis is decreased and converged tozero indicates a state in which the user places and holds the portableterminal to the user's ear.

Referring to FIGS. 4c and 4d , the portable terminal is moved when theuser brings the portable terminal to the user's ear so that thedetermined acceleration value is changed. However, when the user placesthe portable terminal to the user's ear, the determined accelerationvalue is hardly changed.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating an example of determination values of anaccelerometer sensor and a luminance sensor and an analysis thereof whena user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the graph shows a data obtained every 20milliseconds (ms) from the accelerometer sensor and the luminance sensorwhen the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear. In thegraph, the horizontal axis represents the time, the vertical axisrepresents the acceleration of gravity in case for the accelerometersensor or a luminance value in case for the luminance sensor.

A bold vertical bar in the graph represents a state in which the userbrings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear.

When the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear, theluminance sensor is shadowed by the user's ear or a facial side of theuser, and the luminance value determined is maintained as low.

During when the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear, thedetermination value of the luminance sensor is changed and, at the sametime, the determination value of the accelerometer sensor along the X, Yor Z axis is changed. When the user brings and holds the portableterminal to the user's ear, the determination value of the accelerometersensor along the X, Y or Z axis and the determination value of theluminance sensor are stabilized within a specific range. When thesevalues are determined, the controller can determine that the user bringsthe portable terminal to the user's ear.

It should be noted that, even when there exists no luminance sensor, thecontroller can determine whether the user brings the portable terminalto the user's ear based on a change in the determination value of theaccelerometer sensor.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of detecting a motion inwhich a user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear by using anaccelerometer sensor and a luminance sensor in a portable terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the controller detects the call receipt eventor a call origination event (step 610), i.e., the controller detects thecall receipt event such as an incoming call ringing or incoming callvibration, or the controller detects the user pressing the number tocall, the following step is performed.

First, in order to determine whether the user brings holds the portableterminal to the user's ear, the controller stores the determinationvalue (X (t), Y (t), Z (t)) of the accelerometer sensor and thedetermination value (L(t)) of the luminance sensor in a queue (step620). Next, an amount of change between the determination value (L(t))of the luminance sensor and a previous determination value (L(t−1)) ofthe luminance sensor is determined (step 630).

When the luminance value (L(t)) determined by the luminance sensor isgreater than a specific value (for example, 500) and a differencebetween the luminance value (L(t)) determined by the luminance sensorand a previous luminance value (L(t−1)) is less than a specific value(for example, 50) (step 640), the controller determines that the userdoes not bring the portable terminal to the user's ear. To the contrary,when the luminance value (L(t)) determined by the luminance sensor isless than the specific value (for example, 500) and the differencebetween the luminance value (L(t)) determined by the luminance sensorand the previous determination value (L(t−1)) is greater than thespecific value (for example, 50) (step 640), the controller determinesthat the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear.

It is because, when it is determined that the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear, the luminance sensor is shadowed bythe user's ear or facial side, and therefore, the determined brightness(L(t)) is less than the specific value (for example, 500) and thedifference between the luminance value (L(t)) determined by theluminance sensor and the previous determination value (L(t−1)) isgreater than the specific value (for example, 50) at a moment when theluminance sensor is shadowed. Namely, a brightness determination valueof the luminance sensor is dramatically changed at the moment when theluminance sensor is shadowed.

An arrow (a) indicates a case where there is no difference between thedetermination value (L(t)) of the luminance sensor and the previousdetermination value (L(t−1)) of the luminance sensor, and therefore, thecontroller determines that the user does not bring and hold the potableterminal to the user's ear.

Next, the controller identifies whether an analysis result of thedetermination values ((X (t), Y (t), Z (t)) determined by theaccelerometer sensor indicates that the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear (step 650). In this case, thecontroller determines whether the determination value (X (t), Y (t), Z(t)) is in a specific range and, when the determination value (X (t), Y(t), Z (t)) is in the specific range, the controller determines that theuser brings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear. To thecontrary, when the determination value (X (t), Y (t), Z (t)) determinedby the accelerometer sensor is not in the specific range, the controllerdetermines that the user does not bring and hold the portable terminalto the user's ear and stop.

An arrow (b) indicates a case where the determination value of theaccelerometer sensor (X (t), Y (t), Z (t)) is respectively 174, −193 and−25 and, when the determination value (X (t), Y (t), Z (t)) is in thespecific range, the controller determines that the user brings and holdsthe portable terminal to the user's ear. The specific value or specificrange will be described in FIGS. 7 and 8 below.

Next, the controller analyzes by comparing twenty previous sample valuesof the determination value of the accelerometer sensor or thedetermination value of the luminance sensor with a predefined referencevalue to determine whether the analysis results indicates a normalpattern in which the portable terminal is brought to the user's ear(step 660).

An arrow (c) shows the twenty previous sample values, and an algorithmsuch as time series can be used for comparison and analysis.

In the above analysis process, when all the results of the analysis ofthe determination values of the luminance sensor (step 640), theanalysis of the determination value of the accelerometer sensor (step650), and the analysis of a pattern analysis (step 670) indicate thatthe user brings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear, thecontroller performs a call originating operation or a call receivingoperation (step 670).

In other words, only when all three analysis results indicate that theuser brings and holds the portable to the user's ear for call receipt orcall origination, the controller performs a step to originate or receivethe call.

However, considering another embodiment, it is possible that the call isoriginated or received when at least one analysis result of the threeanalyses indicates that the user brings and holds the portable terminalto the user's ear.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a pseudo code for detecting a motion inwhich a user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear by using anaccelerometer sensor and a luminance sensor in a portable terminalaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the call receipt event such as the screendisplay that signals the incoming call, the ring tone, the vibration, orthe flashing lamp occurs in the portable terminal, (if (phone callsignal detected)), the controller performs a process to detect whetherthe user brings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear and,if detected, the controller operates a call receiving function (thephone call function).

The above process to detect whether the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear is continuously performed until thecall is disconnected or the user presses a button on the portableterminal (a call is missing or user catch a call by pushing a button).

Here, the process of detecting whether the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear can include a three step processincluding a step of using the luminance sensor, a step of using theaccelerometer sensor, and a step of using the pattern analysis. Thethree step detecting process is described below.

First, the determination value (X (t), Y (t), Z (t)) of theaccelerometer sensor and the determination value (L(t)) of the luminancesensor are obtained (X(t)=x axis accelerometer data, Y(t)=y axisaccelerometer data, Z(t)=z axis accelerometer data, L(t)=luminancesensor data).

Next, a difference (A=L(t)−L(t−5)) between the determination value(L(t)) of the luminance sensor and the previous determination value(L(t−1)) of the luminance sensor is determined. The purpose of this isto identify whether the user brings and holds the portable terminal tothe user's ear by using the difference between the determination valueof the luminance sensor and the previous determination value of theluminance sensor.

If the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear such that theluminance sensor is shadowed by the user's ear or facial side, theprevious determination value (L(t−5)) of the luminance sensor becomesgreater than the determination value (L(t)) of the luminance sensor.After the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear, theluminance sensor is shadowed by the user's ear or facial side so that adetermined luminance value becomes smaller.

In the present invention, it is identified whether the difference(A=L(t)−L(t−5) between the determination value (L(t)) of the luminancesensor and the previous determination value (L(t−1)) of the luminancesensor is greater than LUMINANCE_DELTA_LIMIT and whether the determinedluminance value (L(t)) is less than LUMINANCE_PERFORMANCE to determinewhether the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear.

Here, LUMINANCE_DELTA_LIMIT is a reference value for the differencebetween the determination value of the luminance sensor and the previousdetermination value of the luminance sensor when the user brings theportable terminal to the user's ear. LUMINANCE_PERFORMANCE is areference luminance value for when the luminance sensor is shadowed bythe user's ear or facial side.

When it is determined that the analysis result of the determinationvalue of the luminance sensor indicates that the user brings and holdsthe portable terminal to the user's ear, the controller identifieswhether the determination value of the accelerometer sensor that islastly determined indicates that the user brings and holds the portableterminal to the user's ear.

When it is assumed that the portable terminal is placed on a flat planeand an upward direction of the portable terminal is north, the value ofthe sensor on the X axis represents the determined acceleration value ofthe accelerometer sensor along the north-south direction relative to theportable terminal, and the value of the sensor on the Y axis representsthe determined acceleration value of the accelerometer sensor along theeast-west direction relative to the portable terminal, and the value ofthe sensor on the Z sensor represents the determined acceleration valueof the accelerometer sensor along the vertical direction of the portableterminal.

In the present invention, when the determination value X (t) of theaccelerometer sensor is greater than zero and an absolute value of Z (t)is less than 100 (If (X (t)>0 and | Z (t) |<100)), the controllerdetermines that the user brings and holds the portable terminal to theuser's ear. Here, the value of X(t) and the range of |Z(t)| have thespecific value and the specific range of the determination value (X(t),Y(t), Z(t)) determined by the accelerometer sensor of FIGS. 5 and 6.

Initial values of LUMINANCE_DELTA_LIMIT, LUMINANCE_PERFORMANCE, thespecific value and the specific range can be pre-set by a manufactureror a business provider. Also, an average of determination valuescorresponding to a user's motion of bringing and holding the portableterminal to the user's ear can be set as the reference value. In otherwords, the reference value can be adaptively set through learning.

When it is determined that the analysis result of determination value ofthe accelerometer sensor indicates that the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear, the controller identifies whetherthe user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear by using thepattern analysis.

The above pattern analyzing process is to identify whether the user'smotion is a normal behavior of brining the portable terminal to theuser's ear by comparing the determination values of (X(t−20 . . . t),Y(t−20 . . . t), Z(t−20 . . . t)) of the accelerometer sensor with agiven pattern. The given pattern can be an average value of previousdetermination values, or a learned value, or a standardized value.

For example, when a pattern similar to or same with a pattern that isdetermined to be the user's motion to bring the portable terminal to theuser's ear is detected, the controller can determine that the user'smotion is the normal behavior of brining the portable terminal to theuser's ear.

When it is determined, based on the result of the pattern analysis, thatthe user brings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear, thecontroller performs a phone receiving step (or phone call function).

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a pseudo code for detecting a motion inwhich a user brings a portable terminal to the user's ear by using anaccelerometer sensor in a portable terminal according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the call receipt event such as the screendisplay that signals the incoming call, the ring tone, the vibration, orthe flashing lamp occurs in the portable terminal, (if (phone callsignal detected)), the controller performs a process to detect whetherthe user brings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear and,if detected, the controller operates a call receiving function (thephone call function).

The process to detect whether the user brings and holds the portableterminal to the user's ear is continuously performed until the call isdisconnected or the user presses a button on the portable terminal.

Here, a process of detecting whether the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear can be a two step process includinga step of using the accelerometer sensor and a step of using the patternanalysis. The two step detecting process is described below.

First, the controller identifies whether the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear by using a determined value of theaccelerometer sensor.

During when the user grips and brings the portable terminal to theuser's ear, an acceleration value is changed, and, when the userfinishes the motion of bringing the portable terminal to the user's ear,the change in the acceleration value is stabilized.

To detect these changes, the controller repeats a process of subtractinga previous determined value from the determined value of theaccelerometer sensor. For example, a process such as (|X(5)−X(4)|),(|Y(5)−Y(4)|), (|Z(5)−Z(4)|)), ((|X(4)−X(3)|), (|Y(4)−Y(3)|), or(|Z(4)−Z(3)|)) is repeated.

Next, the subtracted value is added with respect to each axis. Forexample, a process such as dX=SUM (|X(t)−X(t−1)|), dY=SUM(|Y(t)−Y(t−1)|), or dZ=SUM (|Z(t)−Z(t−1)|) is performed.

Next, a standard deviation for dX, dY and dZ values are obtained andwhether the standard deviation is less than STABLE_LIMIT is identifiedso that the controller can determine whether the user brings theportable device to the user's ear.

Here, STABLE_LIMIT indicates a reference standard deviation for astabilized acceleration determination value when the user finishes themotion of brining the portable terminal to the user's ear.

Next, when a result of comparison between the standard deviationindicates that the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear,the controller identifies whether the determination value of theaccelerometer sensor lastly determined indicates the state in which theuser brings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear.

When it is assumed that the portable terminal is placed on a flat planeand an upward direction of the portable terminal is north, the value ofthe sensor on the X axis represents the determined acceleration value ofthe accelerometer sensor along the north-south direction relative to theportable terminal, and the value of the sensor on the Y axis representsthe determined acceleration value of the accelerometer sensor along theeast-west direction relative to the portable terminal, and the value ofthe sensor on the Z sensor represents the determined acceleration valueof the accelerometer sensor along the vertical direction of the portableterminal.

In the present invention, when the determination value X (t) of theaccelerometer sensor is greater than zero and an absolute value of Z (t)is less than 100 (If (X (t)>0 and | Z (t)|<100)), the controllerdetermines that the user brings and holds the portable terminal to theuser's ear. Here, the value of X(t) and the range of |Z(t)| have thespecific value and the specific range of the determination value (X(t),Y(t), Z(t)) determined by the accelerometer sensor of FIGS. 5 and 6.

Initial values for STABLE_LIMIT, the specific value or the specificrange can be pre-set by the manufacturer or the business provider. Also,the average of the determination values corresponding to the user'smotion of bringing and holding the portable terminal to the user's earcan be set as a reference value of STABLE_LIMIT. In other words, thereference value can be adaptively set through learning.

When it is determined that the analysis result of determination value ofthe accelerometer sensor indicates that the user brings and holds theportable terminal to the user's ear, the controller identifies whetherthe user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear by using thepattern analysis.

The above pattern analyzing process is to identify whether the user'smotion is a normal behavior of brining the portable terminal to theuser's ear by comparing the determination values of (X(t−20 . . . t),Y(t−20 . . . t), Z(t−20 . . . t)) of the accelerometer sensor with agiven pattern. The given pattern can be an average value of previousdetermination values, or the learned value, or the standardized value.

For example, when a pattern similar to or same with a pattern that isdetermined to be the user's motion to bring the portable terminal to theuser's ear is detected, the controller can determine that the user'smotion is the normal behavior of brining the portable terminal to theuser's ear.

When it is determined, based on the result of the pattern analysis, thatthe user brings and holds the portable terminal to the user's ear, thecontroller performs the phone receiving step (or phone call function).

It is described in FIGS. 7 and 8 that a method of detecting the user'smotion to bring and hold the portable terminal is described in case forthe call reception; however, the above method can equally apply todetect the user's motion to bring and hold the portable terminal to theuser's ear for the call origination. Namely, when the telephone numberis entered and the controller detects the above described step, the callcan be originated to the entered phone number.

The present invention can provide convenience to the user byautomatically receiving or originating a call by detecting a motion inwhich the user brings the portable terminal to the user's ear.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of an electronic device, the methodcomprising: identifying a phone number to call; detecting, based on thephone number to call being identified, a motion of the electronic deviceusing a sensor of the electronic device; and initiating a call to thephone number, based at least on the detected motion which is detectedfor a designated period of time being for a phone-call posture.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein initiating the call to the phone numberfurther comprises determining that the detected motion which is detectedfor the designated period of time corresponds to a predetermined motionfor the phone-call posture.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein initiatingthe call to the phone number comprises initiating the call to the phonenumber, based at least on the detected motion which is completed withinthe designated period of time being matched with the motion for thephone-call posture.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting themotion of the electronic device further comprises acquiring values ofthe sensor from the sensor, and wherein initiating the call to the phonenumber comprises initiating the call to the phone number, based at leaston the values acquired for the designated period of time correspondingto predetermined values of the sensor for the phone-call posture.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein acquiring the values of the sensor from thesensor comprises: acquiring the values of the sensor from the sensor forthe designated period of time immediately before the values of thesensor reach a preset value of the sensor.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein initiating the call to the phone number, based at least on thevalues acquired for the designated period of time corresponding topredetermined values of the sensor for the phone-call posture comprises:initiating the call to the phone number, based at least on a change ofthe values acquired for the designated period of time corresponding to achange of the predetermined values of the sensor for the phone-callposture.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein acquiring the values of thesensor from the sensor comprises: acquiring the values of the sensorfrom the sensor for the designated period of time immediately before thechange of the values of the sensor reaches a preset change.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of anaccelerometer sensor, a terrestrial magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor,a proximity sensor, or a luminance sensor.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the motion of the electronic device for the phone-call postureis an upwardly rotated motion.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising detecting an event indicating that the phone number isinputted before identifying the phone number to call.
 11. An electronicdevice comprising: a memory storing instructions; and at least oneprocessor configured to execute the instructions to at least: control toidentify a phone number to call, control to detect, based on the phonenumber to call being identified, a motion of the electronic device usinga sensor of the electronic device, and control to initiate a call to thephone number, based at least on the detected motion which is detectedfor a designated period of time being for a phone-call posture.
 12. Theelectronic device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to determine that the detected motion which isdetected for the designated period of time corresponds to apredetermined motion for the phone-call posture.
 13. The electronicdevice of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured tocontrol to initiate the call to the phone number, based at least on thedetected motion which is completed within the designated period of timebeing matched with the motion for the phone-call posture.
 14. Theelectronic device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured to acquire values of the sensor from the sensor, andwherein the at least one processor is configured to control to initiatethe call to the phone number, based at least on the values acquired forthe designated period of time corresponding to predetermined values ofthe sensor for the phone-call posture.
 15. The electronic device ofclaim 14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to control toacquire the values of the sensor from the sensor for the designatedperiod of time immediately before the values of the sensor reach apreset value of the sensor.
 16. The electronic device of claim 14,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control toinitiate the call to the phone number, based at least on a change of thevalues acquired for the designated period of time corresponding to achange of the predetermined values of the sensor for the phone-callposture.
 17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to control to acquire the values of thesensor from the sensor for the designated period of time immediatelybefore the change of the values of the sensor reaches a preset change.18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises atleast one of an accelerometer sensor, a terrestrial magnetic sensor, apressure sensor, a proximity sensor, or a luminance sensor.
 19. Theelectronic device of claim 11, wherein the motion of the electronicdevice for the phone-call posture is an upwardly rotated motion.
 20. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructionsexecutable by at least one processor of an electronic device to causethe processor to at least: control to identify a phone number to call,control to detect, based on the phone number to call being identified, amotion of the electronic device using a sensor of the electronic device,and control to initiate a call to the phone number, based at least onthe detected motion which is detected for a designated period of timebeing for a phone-call posture.